Chase Briscoe is getting the hang of winning close races. Briscoe held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell to win his second straight NASCAR playoff race in a photo finish on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, vaulting him into contention to earn his first Cup Series championship. The two drivers traded paint on the final lap, but Briscoe maintained control of his No. 19 Toyota and reached the finish line about a half-car length ahead of Bell.
"I don't know what it is about these finishes. I have to quit making it so exciting at the end," said Briscoe. It was the eighth win of his career and third this season. He led 62 laps. Briscoe said he felt his right front tire going down on the final laps but held it together. Briscoe was 123 points behind Kyle Larson prior to last week's win, but back-to-back victories have cut the deficit to 65 points, putting him in fourth place with four races left.
Hamlin won the regular season championship but has struggled to find victory lane in the playoffs. He was sent to the rear of the field for a loose tire penalty on his first pit stop. Larson, who started on the pole, dominated the early laps, leading 68 of the 80 laps in the first stage. Bell caught Larson and won the second stage.
Several Chase contenders ran into trouble early. Ty Gibbs broke a toe link and hit the outside wall, and Joey Logano slammed into him from behind. Near the end of the first stage, Alex Bowman's car got loose and collected Bubba Wallace and William Byron. Wallace was taken to the infield medical center, and all three cars went behind the wall.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing